*“Australian Mangoes are FINALLY here”, that was the headline capturing shopper’s attention as they made their way into stores in the United States.*

While travel plans across the globe were put on hold and international travellers banned from experiencing an Australian summer, target export markets were still able to treat their customers to a taste of summer downunder with juicy, sweet Australian Mangoes.

The Australian Mangoes Export strategy has four criteria for the investment of marketing dollars. The first is that we will invest in a mix of protocol and non-protocol markets. Secondly, we will invest in a mix of established and emerging markets. Thirdly, any market where we do invest must be supported by a robust supply chain that can consistently deliver the quality experience consumers are expecting. And fourthly, we invest in markets where we have the ability to work with retailers that target affluent consumers who are prepared to pay a premium for an Australian Mango.

COVID restrictions on display space and size did not dampen the enthusiasm of Produce Managers in the United States intent on creating eye-catching displays incorporating purpose-built mango bins, spill-over displays, mango balloons and an Aussie kangaroo or two!

*In South Korea, consumers were encouraged to buy Australian Mangoes from the comfort of their own home, they simply turned on the TV, watched, listened and started shopping.*

As we moved towards the start of the mango season, concerns and uncertainty grew around the availability of flights for export and the associated increase in costs. In consultation with industry, it was decided to focus our investment in the 5 key markets where strong, collaborative relationships between growers, exporters, importers and retailers had been developed over a number of years.
The 5 markets selected were New Zealand, South Korea, United States, Hong Kong and Singapore. These markets have proven supply chain capability and importantly, we have established relationships with retailers capable of extracting a premium price for Australian Mangoes.

We worked closely with stakeholders in each market to determine what marketing activities could be executed given the prevailing COVID restrictions unique to each market. In each of these countries, in-store demonstrations have been integral to campaigns implemented in previous years. With a ban on all forms of in-store ‘sampling’ we needed to find new creative ways to raise awareness and encourage the purchase of Australian Mangoes including on-line and at-home shopping, as well as influencing the purchasing decision of buyers en route to bricks and mortar stores.

Decisions on specific promotional activities were made as close as possible to the time of implementation, always working on the latest supply and market specific information. While the promotional mix for each campaign differed slightly the promotional activities included in-store POS (point of sale) material; button badges for store staff; catalogues; out-of-home advertising; sales challenge competitions; social media and influencer; on-line shopping; and home shopping via TV. At the time of writing this article the campaigns are still underway however the images here will give you a flavour of what’s been happening.

For more information on the Australian Mangoes industry marketing plans, contact Treena Welch, Australian Mangoes Marketing Manager on P: 0417 001 253 or E: marketing@mangoes.net.au